DriveWorks Pro 16: How To: Name a Face of a SOLIDWORKS Part (KB17072701)
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How To: Name and Write Rules for a Face or Plane in a SOLIDWORKS Part

This topic shows how faces and planes in SOLIDWORKS are named and how rules are built in DriveWorks that refer to them.

DriveWorks requires named faces and planes when using some Generation Tasks (see Create Angle Mate for example).

Naming a Face

To name to a Face within SOLIDWORKS:

In the SOLIDWORKS graphics area, right click the face to be named.

Expand the menu and select Face Properties.

In the Entity Property dialog enter a name for the face

Click OK and save the model.

Naming a Plane

Planes are given a name at the point they are created, if you wish to change the given name:

Click on the plane to be renamed in the SOLIDWORKS Feature Manager.

Enter the new name once the original name is highlighted.

Writing Rules For Faces and Planes

When building rules for the face names, they must reference the generated file name and not the master. The rule must be built in the form: [Face Name]@[Generated model name]-[Instance number]

The rule must include the instance number, even if there is only one instance of the component in the assembly. The instance number must be formatted "-1" and not how it is displayed in SOLIDWORKS (<1>)

Mating planes can only be one level deep. For example, the rule: [Face Name]@[Generated model name]@[Generated sub assembly name] would not be valid.

Examples

For these examples the same Part will be used. The Part is called "Bracket".

For Instance Number "-1" will always be used.

These examples are making use of the Special Variable "DWSpecificationId"